Let the Holiday Hallmark Season Begin

By: Morgan Annandale

Now that Halloween is over and we have secretly enjoyed stealing the extra trick or treat candy from our kids, there is a new guilty pleasure that I know I cannot wait to indulge in for the next two months… Hallmark Christmas movies. You read that right… I LOVE Hallmark Christmas movies and this year, I am not afraid to admit it.

I am That Person

Growing up in my family we were the ones who pulled out the Christmas trees (yes, plural) and decorations the week after Halloween. My dad always fought with my mom and called us both crazy for our anticipation of the holiday season, but she and I loved it. Who wants to only celebrate Christmas for one month when you have the option to celebrate it for two months?! I still remember how my grandmother was the first one to teach me how to wrap a present. These childhood memories of the holidays are some of my favorite from growing up. Even though it is a bit eccentric to start celebrating so early, I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

Along with the early decorations and gift-wrapping, as far back as I can remember my mom always loved Hallmark Christmas movies. When I was younger I constantly poked fun at her for watching such corny movies with predictable endings, yet I always hung around till the final kiss at the end. Now that I am a mother myself, I enjoy these movies even more and see why my mom likes them so much.

The Holidays are Stressful

As all moms know, the holidays change when you have a baby - especially once you have your first baby. Planning your baby’s first Christmas can be stressful. I know I wanted it to be perfect last year, and I drove everyone around me crazy in my attempt. Then there was dealing with the crappy feelings of missing out on parties when I was either too tired to go or I couldn’t find a sitter. Even with how much I love Christmas time, there were days when the stress of everything got to be a bit too much to handle.

Insert Dermot Mulroney, Andrew Walker, and Jesse Metcalfe staring in Hallmark Christmas classics. They, along with surprise cameos from actresses/actors I haven’t seen since I was a teenager, made me forget about all the stress the holidays brought on. There was nothing better than enjoying a predictable romantic comedy with some snacks and silence when I was so sleep deprived from breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I loved that I could fall asleep during these movies and not be confused when I woke up about the ending, the definition of the perfect nap movie.

This Year’s New Movies

Now that it is November the Hallmark movie extravaganza is in full swing at my house and this year is even better because my husband is deployed (there’s a silver lining to everything right?). This year I won’t have to listen to the constant nagging that these movies are “so dumb” and “how is this even on TV?” I will get to watch Gretchen Weiner’s (Lacey Chabert) debut, “The Sweetest Christmas,” next Saturday night without having to force a grown man to sit quietly through the entire movie.

I am also looking forward to the 18th on The Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel (yes, I watch both channels) when I get to watch “Christmas Homecoming” with Julie Benz and Michael Shanks. This season’s military love story will be what I'm guessing a couple struggling with the hardships of a deployment during the holidays, while hoping and praying Michael will magically return on Christmas Day. I’m sure he does and I will be crying on the couch wishing somehow Hallmark could bring my husband home for Christmas too.

Dear Santa,

I will probably love this movie, along with the rest of the “Countdown to Christmas” movies scheduled on The Hallmark Channel. A Saturday night premiere on The Hallmark Channel pairs perfect with a glass of wine and all the gifts that will need to be wrapped throughout the upcoming months. With how long the commercials are I can usually knock out all the presents for my son during one two-hour movie.

This is our first Christmas without my husband, and there are times when I do not know how I am going to get through it all, let alone enjoy myself. Visiting Santa with a screaming child, baking cookies (that I can never stop eating), traveling with dogs and a baby to spend time with my crazy family, and managing our first home all while my husband is deployed is a lot for me to tackle this year. If only my life this year could be like the Hallmark Christmas movies I love so much. I would give anything to write a letter to Santa asking for my husband to come home and be surprised when he appears and we kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas morning.

A girl can dream right?

(P.S. Hallmark if you are interested in my storyline feel free to email me)